Chapter 35

Stella was on the verge of breaking down. Lillian had been staying at the house for the past few days, and she was constantly criticizing her—nothing was ever right, nothing ever satisfied her. Every word Stella spoke seemed to be wrong. But Lillian was an elder, and she was Eric’s mother. Stella couldn’t bring herself to say anything, so she swallowed her frustration in silence. Eric had told her he was going to attend a press conference as a guest tonight, which only added to her distress. How was she supposed to face Lillian all alone? Fortunately, tonight, Lillian seemed to be in a good mood. After dinner, she quietly sat down in front of the television and started watching a show. After Stella finished tidying up, she planned to head to the study to get some work done. But just as she was about to leave, Lillian called out to her. “Wait, come over here and keep me company. Let’s watch TV together.” Stella was puzzled—she had never watched TV with her before—but she sti